This Spy in France

In Angliss’ (Fight to the Edge of Earth Tonight, 2015, etc.) sixth book featuring Luthan Fennes, the Australian operative chases a terrorist targeting the oil industry.

Aboard the Duchy of Paris, Fennes, aka the Retimer, and agent-aide Vannier, both sporting aliases, are on a mission. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation has assigned the two to stop a terrorist attack on international fuel supplies. But it’s clear their cover is blown when Vannier goes missing and his female companion turns up murdered. The ship docks in Hawaii, and Fennes sprints after suspects through Honolulu, narrowly escaping explosions and a baddie armed with a rocket launcher. A mastermind, meanwhile, whose henchmen are innocents under duress, may have his sights set on the Red Hill fuel facility, and the Retimer has very little time to thwart the strike. The author’s latest in his ongoing series may be his most rousing yet, loaded with action scenes. In fact, once Fennes gets his feet on land, he rarely stops running and ultimately finds himself in a car chase as well as a boat chase (though he’s still pursuing a car). As in previous outings, Fennes is a charismatic, formidable spy, but supporting characters have their times to shine, too. George “Jürgen” Drechsler, for example, Fennes’ agent-aide replacement, snatches one of the baddies before even teaming up with the Retimer. Likewise, Chanty, initially nothing more than Fennes’ “twenty-something blonde ephemeron” on the Duchy of Paris, is a woman for whom the protagonist eventually begins to develop genuine feelings. As in preceding books, Angliss doesn’t shy away from 007 allusions, including Fennes’ gadgets, like the wall-climbing claw-pitons. At least there are no shark-infested pools—only the piranha kind. Nevertheless, the Retimer is a spy with his own style. Who else but the ASIO agent could so eloquently separate his job from a personal life with Chanty: “Until the eclipse of love can outride the rivalry that is espionage, I have to decline, lest my line of work place you in advertent danger.”

Fresh, invigorating, and appealing for returning fans and those just joining the series.